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Before your student chooses a college– or starts dreaming of an unaffordable one– here’s some data they need to see. A recent Harris Poll on behalf of CNBC Make It’s “Middle-Aged Millenials” series showed that more than half of older millenials– those aged 33-40– regret taking out student loans. Of 1,000 such adults surveyed, the average amount borrowed was just…

About 3/4 of financial aid appeals result in the student receiving additional aid, according to Sallie Mae’s How America Pays for College. And yet, less than half of families appeal their aid award. There’s no harm in appealing: any college that has admitted your student wants them to attend, and asking for more money won’t change that. Your odds of…

We’re almost there: acceptance letters are arriving and the May 1 decision day is right around the corner. For most families, how much schools cost is part of the decision making process. But comparing award letters from different schools might seem like comparing apples to taco salad. The good news is, all offers need to show total cost of attendance,…

Annuities are, too. And yet, insurance salespeople love to prey on parents trying to juggle college, retirement and other savings priorities. Claims that “It’s better for financial aid since you don’t have to report it on the FAFSA!” and “You don’t have to decide whether to save for retirement or for college because you can use it for both!” have…

Last year, I made a New Year’s resolution that I actually kept. My resolution was to walk 10,000 steps every day. Background: my dog died unexpectedly on Halloween of 2021. A couple of weeks later, I realized that one of the big things I missed about her was our walks. Thanks to Oski, I went for a walk every day,…